New Kobo Arc HD Tablets Now Available in US and Canada

Kobo recently announced that their new line of Kobo Arc tablets are now available in the US and Canada. The news has gone virtually unnoticed with the new iPads and Kindle Fire HDX tablets shipping at the same time.

Nevertheless, the three new Kobo tablets, including the 10-inch Kobo Arc 10HD and the 7-inch Kobo Arc 7 and Kobo Arc 7HD, are now available for purchase directly from Kobo.com for residents of the United States and Canada.

The new tablets are also available from a number of retail stores in Canada, including Indigo-Chapters, Best Buy, Future Shop, The Source, Staples, Walmart, Target, and Toys”R” Us.

According to Kobo, residents in the US will be able to visit select independent bookstores to see the tablets in person starting in mid-November.

On paper Kobo’s 7-inch tablets look pretty interesting, especially the Kobo Arc 7HD, which at $199 looks like a better buy than the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX, which costs $30 more and includes screensaver ads that cost another $15 to remove.

All three of Kobo’s new tablets run open Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and are certified with Google Play. They have Bluetooth, front-facing cameras, and HDMI ports, the last of which is lacking on the new Kindle Fire tablets.

Oddly, the cheapest model, the Kobo Arc 7 for $149, is the only one of the bunch to come with a microSD card slot. Both HD models lack that option. And considering the Kobo Arc 10HD costs $399, that seems like a pretty big oversight, especially since it only has 16GB of internal storage space, with 12.9GB usable. The Kobo Arc 7HD at least has the option for a 32GB model for $50 more.

Here’s a more complete rundown of the specs for each new Kobo tablet via Kobo.com:

I agree the Nook is a better buy in some respects, especially with the microSD card slot, but the software is more customized, and the resolution is still good but it’s a bit of a step down at 1440 x 900 with 243 PPI.

… Except for the small problem of not being able to sideload your own content without undergoing a complicated hacking process. No thanks. I chose a Kobo over the Nook HD and don’t regret it in the least.